At least 18 people were killed and 44 others were injured on Monday when a blast hit Halanaka area of Pakistan’s Hyderabad district.
“According to the initial reports, the blast occurred in a truck loaded with chemicals which was parked in a truck stand in Halanaka area here,” Hyderabad police chief Fayyaz Leghari said.
“We cannot say at the moment whether it was a bomb, or something else caused the blast,” he said. Another police official said a gas cylinder caused the blast, reports our Pakistan correspondent.
Hospital sources have confirmed 18 deaths while dozens of injured are being brought in hospitals for treatment.
The blast occurred at a commercial centre, where at least eight shops were completely destroyed, the police said.
Also on Monday, miscreants exploded an oil tanker supplying oil to Nato forces in Afghanistan in tribal Landi Kotal area.
“The oil tanker caught fire as a result of the blast at Haji Ayub Kalay area in Landi Kotal. No casualty has been reported,” a security official said after the incident.
The militants have pasted posters at various places in Landi Kotal warning the oil tanker owners and drivers not to supply oil to Nato forces or to face dire consequences.